Haywards_Heath_RFC Knowpia

Haywards Heath
Full name	Haywards Heath Rugby Football Club
Nickname(s)	Heath
Founded	1950; 74 years ago
Location	Cuckfield, West Sussex, England
Ground(s)	Whitemans Green
Chairman	Mark Newey
President	Mimms Davies
Coach(es)	Graeme Childs
Captain(s)	Wilf Bridges
League(s)	Sussex 1
Official website
	www.hhrfc.co.uk

Haywards Heath Rugby Football Club is an English rugby union team. The first XV currently plays in Sussex 2, the tenth tier of English rugby union competition. The club also has a number of other teams, with their 2nd XV currently playing in the Sussex Late Red 3 (level 12). They used to run a 4th Team called "The Dinos" named after the dinosaur fossil discovered by Gideon Mantell on what is now their playing fields.

Club honours edit

1st Team:

Sussex 2 Counties Champions: 2023-24
Sussex 1 champions: 1992–93
London 2 South champions (2): 2000–01, 2007–08
London 1 v South West 1 promotion playoff winners: 2002–03
Shepherd Neame Kent 1 v Sussex Spitfire 1 promotion playoff winners: 2015–16
London 2 South East champions: 2019–2020.^[a]^[1]

2nd Team:

Sussex 2 champions: 2014–15^[b]
Sussex Late Red 3 champions: 2015–16

Club colours edit

The current club colours are black and red hoops.

Notable former players edit

Haywards Heath have a long-standing record of developing players who go on to play professional rugby. These include the following players :

Adam Vander - England A, Bath, Richmond, Bristol
Ben Broster - Wales, Northampton RFC
Joe Marler - England, Harlequins
Billy Twelvetrees - British & Irish Lions, England, Leicester Tigers, Gloucester Rugby
Roy Winters - England, Harlequins, Bristol
Nick Killick - Harlequins
Ollie Tomasczczyk - Worcester Warriors, Falcons
Ben Maidment - Cornish Pirates, Esher
Perry Parker - Esher, Edinburgh
Ross Chisholm - Harlequins
James Chisholm - Harlequins

Notes edit

^ Despite winning L2SE and being promoted to London 1 South for 2020-21 (season cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic), Haywards Heath 1XV withdrew from L1S ahead of the 2021-22 season and instead competed in Harvey's of Sussex 2 in season 2021-22.
^ Despite winning the league - Haywards Heath II would be demoted to Sussex Late Red 3 due to the Haywards Heath 1st team being demoted into Sussex Spitfire 1.